The present invention relates to an improved nut transport element and feed chain for use in a high production nutcracking apparatus, of the type disclosed for example in U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,623,867; 6,205,915; and 6,584,890.
The nutcracking apparatus as disclosed in the above patents includes a rotatable turret which mounts a plurality of cracking units arranged about its periphery, with each cracking unit having an opening adapted to receive an individual nut from a nut feed conveyor which comprises a plurality of nut transport elements mounted in succession on a feed chain. Each of the nut transport elements includes an upwardly open transverse receptacle for holding an individual nut, and each cracking unit on the turret has an anvil which is moved axially into the receptacle at a pickup point so that the nut is engaged between the anvil and a crack die on the other side of the opening.
In operation, the feed conveyor moves tangentally past the rotating turret so that the anvils of the cracking units enter the receptacles of respective nut transport elements at the pickup point and engage and pick up the nut. After the cracking unit and engaged nut have moved away from the pickup point, the crack die of the cracking unit applies an impact to the nut to crack the shell.
The timing and alignment of the feed chain with respect to the cracking units is important to the proper operation of the nutcracking apparatus, and this requirement is the subject of U.S. Pat. No. 6,270,824. However, even with the improved alignment features as set forth in the '824 patent, it occasionally happens that the apparatus is operated with the feed chain and turret slightly out of alignment, in which case the anvils of the cracking units can engage the side walls of the receptacles of the nut transport elements. This results in rapid wear on the walls of the receptacles of the nut transport elements, which are conventionally formed of machined bar stock composed of an aluminum alloy. Such contact can also result in wear of the anvil and may require replacement of the entire feed chain, as well as the anvils of the cracking units. Further, in the case of a relatively significant misalignment, the movement of the anvil can break a “wing” of the nut transport element (the “wing” being defined below with respect to FIG. 3). Such breakage also usually requires the replacement of the effected nut transport elements.
The replacement of the feed chain may also be required when nuts of different average size are being processed. In particular, it is important for the proper operation of the apparatus to have the receptacles of the nut transport elements sized to accommodate the nuts being processed, and thus it has been conventional to provide three or four feed chains with each apparatus, with the chains having nut transport elements of differing sizes. Thus when the size of the nuts being processed changes, a feed chain is selected and installed which has a receptacle size which is most suitable for the nuts to be processed.
As will be apparent, the changing of the feed chain is a labor intensive and time consuming operation, and it is an object of the present invention to reduce the number of required changes, and to simplify the labor and time required when a change is required.